Philadelphia - Visual arts have long been just that - visual, and appreciated best in-the-flesh.

But a new Internet resource debuting its beta version this month seeks to attract online art lovers by providing a one-stop source for everyone from the casual museum-goer to the serious collector.

MutualArt.com is the brain-child of Moti Schniberg, art collector and founder of the Artist Pension Trust. The site merges a sophisticated sense of user-friendliness and customization options with a broad range of information, covering everything from museum exhibits to auctions to articles on art, artists, and gallery openings.

The site is rich in content and seeks to cover all of the immense world of visual art. Collecting information from partner museums who provide information on their programming, the site also mines articles from various sources from Art and Antiques to The Village Voice. Future options will allow users to collect information related to specific artists, including critics' reviews, archived articles and exhibit information.

An easy-to-navigate profile system helps registered users select filtering options that delivery a product resembling a newsletter, hand-tailored to their specific interests.

As Mr. Schniberg explains, MutualArt.com is meant to serve as an electronic "concierge" service for its users.

"Art lovers all have experience with concierge service to some degree," he said. "Our customization shows an appreciation for their time."

The Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, the Rijksmuseum, the Whitney and more than 200 other institutions have signed as partners in this project. Full partners provide MutualArt.com with exclusive content from their museum's Web sites, as well as content on future exhibitions and events. In addition, members of the partner museums will receive invitations to become MutualArt.com members.

Mr. Schniberg says the inspiration for the site came from his years with the Artist Pension Trust. APT is the first organization to offer a pension program for independent artists. It has eight offices around the world, and operations in approximately 40 countries. Through the trust, artists can use financial planning services based on an investment of their art, rather than on money. An art collector from an early age, Mr. Schniberg realized that the information available for people interested in art was immense. At the same time, no single place sought to compile this information in a way that catered to the individual needs of different audiences.

According to Mr. Schniberg, he envisioned MutualArt.com as having both "the right combination of understanding of technology and of the art market."

To achieve this, he sought help from both contacts in the art world, and also leading researchers in marketing and information technology. His early efforts were helped by top-notch academics, most notably Dan Ariely, the Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Behavioral Economics at MIT and Visiting Professor of Marketing at Duke University. Dr. Ariely is the author of the recently published book Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decision, and a leader in the field of behavioral economics. The site's technology also benefits from "machine learning," a discipline related to the much-hyped field of artificial intelligence.

MutualArt.com also has some significant local support. Yoram (Jerry) Wind is Wharton Professor of Marketing, and the Founder and Director of the SEI Center for Advanced Studies in Management. One of the world's most cited marketing authors, he is also a Philadelphia resident who sits on the board of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mr. Wind has been an active supporter of MutualArt.com since the beginning and serves on their advisory board. He describes MutualArt.com as "the ideal solution that offers a fully customized one source for all your art information needs."

While it is not fully functional and users of the beta version are likely to encounter some kinks in the system, MutualArt.com appears to be poised to accomplish its goal of providing an online concierge to art lovers and professionals alike. Both MIT and MoMA should be pleased with the result.

Kara Mitzel can be reached at kara.mitzel@gmail.com

©The Evening Bulletin 2008